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Romney Speaks At Firehouse; Security Beefed Up For Bin Laden Anniversary; Occupy and Labor Unions Picket at LAX; Occupy Strike Halts Ferries; New York City Occupy Protests; DNA Clears Man After 18 Years; Remembering Mike Wallace; Tank Demolishes Home; Three Land Mines Found In Luggage; Blind Dissident's Brazen Escape; Search For Alleged Molester In Tucson; Bank Hounds Dad For Dead Son's Loan
Aired May 01, 2012 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Anarchists. There are there images. They are now in custody, accused of wanting to blow up this bridge in Ohio. Now we are told this plan included C-4 explosives, also IEDs, acronym for improvised explosive devices. The target here, a four lane bridge in Cleveland. There it is. But, get this, the FBI says it controlled the plot the entire time undercover. And the public never in danger. So, coming up, more on this alleged plot and how they planned to distract police.
But first, let's go to Governor Romney and Rudy Giuliani speaking there at a fire department in New York.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: And what to do. And I think they really enjoyed the pizza the governor brought for them from the pizzeria right here at Joe's on Carmine Street.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe's on Carmine, yes, yes, yes.
GIULIANI: So I think they had a very good time and I hope the governor did.
ROMNEY: Thanks.
GIULIANI: Thank you for coming.
ROMNEY: Thank you, mayor. Thank you so much.
It's good to be here with Mayor Giuliani. And, obviously, he's a man who is respected and admired by the members of this station. The mayor indicated that some 11 men lost their lives on 9/11 from this station. This is a place of significance for the people of New York, but also for the people of our country. And I wanted to come here today and was happy to be here with the mayor and express our appreciation to the men and women who serve in the firefighters and among first responders here in New York and to acknowledge the special place that this is.
I also remember well being with the mayor on December 24th, Christmas Eve, in 2001, just a few months after 9/11. The Olympic Torch that was on its way from Greece actually and then through Atlanta and then coming to New York was brought into the city. We brought it in by boat. And the families of some of the victims of the 9/11 tragedy firefighters and police families joined us on that boat. We took the Olympic flame and went out into the harbor. We stopped in front of the Statue of Liberty. We all sang "God Bless America" together and there were hugs and tears that were shed there. And then we brought the boat back to the harbor, back to the dock, and took the torch and the mayor actually ran the torch that day, ran the torch across the ice at Rockefeller Center and then we lit a caldron and a caldron burned here in New York City for a day on December 25th.
So it's an honor to be here with the mayor to acknowledge these men and women who serve as our first responders, who rush to danger as opposed to rushing from it. And this, of course, is on the anniversary of the day when Osama bin Laden finally was taken out and we respect and admire the many people who were a part of that, from the president who authorized that attack, to the intelligence community that worked on it for so many years to identify where he was, and, of course, to the members of our armed services, particularly SEAL Team Six, that took the extraordinary risk of going into Pakistan and removing one of the world's worst characters.
So with that, we're happy to take any questions you may have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney, would you (INAUDIBLE) --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) the same information that the White House had back a year ago, would you have handled things differently in regards to Osama bin Laden?
ROMNEY: Of course I would have ordered taking out Osama bin Laden. Of course. This is a person who had done terrible harm to America and who represented a continuing threat to civilized people throughout the world. And had I been president of the United States, I would have made the same decision the president made, which was to remove him. And I acknowledged actually a year ago, when this was announced, that the president deserved credit for the decision he made. I continue to believe that. And certainly would have taken that action myself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
ROMNEY: I'm sorry, pardon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) reconcile that with 2007 (INAUDIBLE).
ROMNEY: No, I think I said the same thing as Vice President -- not vice president then, but Joe Biden, which was, it was naive of the president to announce he would go into Pakistan. We always reserve the right to go anywhere to get Osama bin Laden. I said that very clearly in the response that I made. But that I thought -- there were many people believed, as I did, that it was naive on the part of the president, at that time the candidate, to say he would go into Pakistan. It was a very, if you will, fragile and flammable time in Pakistan and I thought it was a mistake of him as a candidate for the presidency of the United States to announce that he would go in. Rather just to say we, as I did, we reserve the right to go where we feel is appropriate and secure the interests of the United States of America and certainly to track Osama bin Laden anywhere he can be found.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mitt Romney, you're a (INAUDIBLE). Mitt Romney, you're a (INAUDIBLE).
ROMNEY: I'm sorry, I can't quite hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mitt Romney, you're a (INAUDIBLE). Mitt Romney, you're a (INAUDIBLE). Mitt Romney, you're a (INAUDIBLE). Mitt Romney, you're a (INAUDIBLE). Mitt Romney, you're a (INAUDIBLE).
ROMNEY: You know, I think it's totally appropriate for the president to express to the American people the view that he has, that he had an important role in taking out Osama bin Laden. I think politicizing it was -- and trying to draw a distinction between himself and myself was an inappropriate use of the very important event that brought America together, which was the elimination of Osama bin Laden.
(INAUDIBLE).
ROMNEY: The mayor and I had a very nice chat this morning. We talked about the progress this city is making. It's really quite an extraordinary story about the number of murders that are down in this city, the economic revitalization of the city. You have to look at what New York has done under this mayor and under Mayor Bloomberg and say this city is just a remarkable place, doing a superb job from everything he reported.
I mean there were numbers that were surprising to me. He described the fact that the life expectancy of a New Yorker is three years longer than the life expectancy of an average American. That's not something most people would recognize, but this is a great city.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Than you very much, governor.
ROMNEY: All right --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
ROMNEY: I did not. Thanks, you guys. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much, governor.
GIULIANI: Thank you.
BALDWIN: And there you have it, Governor Romney and Rudy Giuliani, certainly one of the faces of 9/11. The backdrop there, one of the fire stations. You heard them mention a moment ago, they're in New York. That particular fire station lost 11 brothers on 9/11. And so he did take a couple quick question and you heard him praise the president's decision and that of the intelligence committee. Actually I'm -- here he is, Rudy Giuliani speaking once again. Let's listen. GIULIANI: If he wants to a credit for it, I have no problem with that at all. I wish he wouldn't use it as a source of negative campaigning. I think that's a big mistake. And I think he's mischaracterizing what Mitt Romney said. Mitt Romney basically said that it shouldn't be our own priority.
I seem to recall candidate Obama said the same thing back then and almost everybody else did. Of course it shouldn't be our only priority. That would be a mistake.
ROMNEY: I didn't know you were still here, but we're going different directions. Thank you, mayor.
GIULIANI: Good luck. Good luck.
ROMNEY: Appreciate your help.
GIULIANI: Thank you.
ROMNEY: We'll keep battling.
GIULIANI: We'll get them.
ROMNEY: All right. Thanks.
GIULIANI: As I said, I believe the president -- I believe -- some people disagree with me -- he certainly has a right to take credit for it and I give him credit for it. I don't think he should use it as a source of negative campaigning and I do believe that the negative part of it is totally inaccurate. I think it's quite clear that Mitt Romney, anyone else would have made the same decision President Obama made. Now, he gets credit for it because he would have gotten blamed if it went wrong, but he shouldn't imply that Mitt Romney wouldn't have made the same decision.
Thank you.
(INAUDIBLE)
GIULIANI: I don't know. I have no idea. I just repeat what I said before. I think President Obama is entitled to credit for it. I don't think he should use it as a source of negative campaigning. Thank you.
BALDWIN: OK, just want to make sure he's not going back. OK. So that was an interesting moment, wasn't it? Were you watching with me. Governor Romney went one way. The former mayor of New York City remained behind. It sounded like he too was asked questions about this issue that has really percolated in the last 24 to 48 hours, that being, as you know, today is the one year anniversary of the death, the taking out of Osama bin Laden. And so essentially Mitt Romney did say that he praised the president and his decision. He praised the intelligence committee and SEAL Team Six on this day one year ago.
He qualified by saying had he, Mitt Romney, been president, of course, we heard the phrase of course yesterday at the rope line there in New Hampshire, of course I would have ordered taking out Osama bin Laden. This has come to light because of this Obama re-election campaign ad that we saw within the last 48 hours or so in which they ultimately question at the very end, would Mitt Romney have made the same decision. In the past, Mitt Romney had questioned perhaps the time, the billions of dollars. And so Mitt Romney there, at the very end, saying, you know, the president should not be using this as a source of negative campaigning and Rudy Giuliani echoing that, as well.
But clearly this issue has become a campaign issue and here we are, first anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, and the United States has dispatched air marshals overseas in the face of possible threats to flights bound for America. Anti-terror agents are on alert for possible threats from this Saudi-born terrorist. Here he is. He is Abdullah al-Asiri. He is the man crafted a bomb -- who could forget this moment -- that was the bomb concealed in an airline passenger's underwear, caught fire. Remember that was Christmas Day 2009 on a flight that was approaching Detroit.
Now, the guys here also created another brand of bomb designed to trump even the most advanced security screening, a so-called body bomb. And CNN's Nic Robertson, he's working this story for us today.
And, Nic, just so I'm clear on this, authorities are saying there's no specific threat, but they've been beefing up security on flights from the U.S. or to the U.S., overseas, vice versa. What are we talking about here? I'm correct in saying body bombs, yes?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Body bombs. A bomb inserted into the rectum containing perhaps a hundred milligrams of the high explosive PETN. It's a powder. Or you can make it into a paste.
Now, to be clear, the spokesman of the Department of Homeland Security did say that there is no indication of a specific or credible threat at this time, but this was a bottom that was put together by this very technically expert bombmaker. He also made the printer bombs that were sent out from Yemen in 2010 that almost got aboard planes flying to the United States, almost came close taking them down.
So, when there's a warning that he might be working on this again or the idea, that's why we see it being taken seriously. That's why we see this extraordinary additional security measures being taken to ramp up security. So the people are aware of it. So it doesn't catch anyone by surprise. But again, no indication of credible, specific threat at this moment.
BALDWIN: I do want to talk just a little bit more about this man Abdullah al-Asiri. I know you mentioned the cargo plots. You've done some, you know, some excellent reporting on this Saudi-born bombmaker believed to be in Yemen. He has already used at least one of these body bombs. And this thing came pretty close to working. I want to listen to your reporting. This is from February.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Master bombmaker Ibrahim al-Asiri, a 29- year-old Saudi, is both imaginative and ruthless. In this al Qaeda video, the man wearing a red kafia (ph) is his brother, Abdullah. The brothers are saying their last good-byes because Abdullah is departing on a suicide mission. Inside his body is a bomb made by his brother. This is the aftermath of that mission. Abdullah dead. His target, a powerful Saudi prince, Muhammad bin Nayef, who has close ties to the White House, injured.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, Nic Robertson, so I'm getting this straight, al- Asiri's brother somehow finagles this meeting with this Saudi Arabian government's counterterrorism chief. He turns up at the meeting with a bomb. That al-Asiri had implanted in his own body and the Saudis couldn't detect it. He saunters right into this meeting.
ROBERTSON: It's an even bigger scam than that because Ibrahim al- Asiri, the bombmaker, sent his brother, Abdullah, to meet Prince Muhammed bin Nayef, the head of Saudi counterterrorism, on the premises that Abdullah, the guy with the bomb inside him, is turning himself in to Saudi authorities. And the Saudi authorities, because they're reaching out to terrorists like that, believed it and allowed him to get that close to this hugely influential and important figure. The son of the interior minister in Saudi Arabia. So it was an incredible scam that they did it. And it was lucky that the Saudi prince only had some minor injuries.
BALDWIN: So here's what I'm wondering, because I imagine the security is extraordinarily tight where this meeting took place. If this bomb eluded that security, can we assume it could elude airport security?
ROBERTSON: Well, I think we can be reasonably sure there wasn't airport style security as he walked into the building, like body scanners. We don't know that for sure but it's probably at a prince's house probably unlikely. There would have been a lot of security guards around him. But perhaps even if they patted him down, they wouldn't have felt anything untoward. That's the problem with a body bomb.
The difficulty for security officials at airports is, is there the technology that can prevent somebody with a broody bomb getting on the aircraft. And the way that counterterrorism officials need to deal with this, and they're telling us they're dealing with it, is really, they need intelligence information to say, as they got with those printer bombs, information intelligence -0- active information intelligence that gives them enough time to stop this operation while it's happening.
And that's what they're going to rely on here. The technology at the airport may not be robust enough to stop this bomb getting through. There has to be tip-offs coming in.
BALDWIN: I understand.
ROBERTSON: And in Saudi -- and in Yemen before, we've seen it work. But that's what we're relying on at this level at the moment. BALDWIN: But, again, to italicize, underline your point still, as we talk about body bombs, no specific threat.
Nic Robertson, I appreciate your reporting, joining me live from London. Thank you.
Folks, it is May Day. The first of May. And, for some, that means taking to the streets to protest for better wages. Take a look here. In the United States, bringing this revival of the Occupy Wall Street movement. We're talking from New York to Los Angeles. We're going to take you live to the ground, check in with the scenes there across country.
And then the search is on for a blind Chinese dissident. Some say he's already at the U.S. embassy. Now CNN heads to his home town to check on his family and CNN gets chased out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This gives you an indication of just how seriously security take this issue and the lengths that they will go to, to stop us trying to tell the story of what's been happening to Chen Guangcheng and his family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: This is a story you will only see right here on CNN. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Anger over the state of the economy boiling over in multiple cities, both in the United States, all around the world. Annual May Day protests, they're merging with the Occupy Wall Street movement today. Take a look. Cities like Paris, Moscow, Hong Kong, Istanbul, thousands rallying to protest rousing unemployment -- rising unemployment, I should say, and demand workers rights.
Here in the U.S., you may have thought the Occupy movement has passed along, but today, no, a totally new theme. A day without the 99 percent. No work, no shopping, no banking. They want you to know what life would be like without the 99. And they have organized protests in some 125 cities. So I want to begin in California, in Los Angeles. We have Casey Wian out there just outside LAX, the Los Angeles International Airport.
Casey, set the scene for me and tell me why this is so important for them.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's what's happening, Brooke. What we've got is about 100 folks here who have gathered. These protesters started gathering very early this morning here at Los Angeles International Airport. What they're upset about is the fact that some of these airlines who operate here are using non-union workers to do things like clean airplanes, to do things like push passengers in wheelchairs. Some of those non-operational functions that the airlines are using. And these unions are saying that they are actually providing substandard wages and substandard working conditions for these people.
Of course they have joined with the May Day Occupy protesters. They are anticipating that at any time now, as many as 1,000 folks are going to arrive here and try to occupy the international terminal here at Los Angeles International Airport. Of course police are waiting for them. They are not anticipating that there will be any problems here. The two sides have been talking to each other.
Then later in the day, they're going to march to an intersection near here and actually try to shut down that intersection. And they say that about 18 different protesters have agreed to engage in some sort of civil disobedience. So perhaps we may see some arrests later today.
And then finally, (INAUDIBLE) by going to the downtown --
BALDWIN: But, Casey -- Casey, let me just jump in. Let me just -- let me jump in because you're talking about shutting down this particular intersection. Why? Why do they want to do that?
WIAN: Well, they're trying to get their message across, Brooke. They're trying to get their message across that they want unionized workers here at Los Angeles International Airport. They want higher wages for working people. And they want to gets as much noise and as much attention as they possibly can.
Now, of course the danger in that is angering people. Disrupting travel at Los Angeles International Airport. Also, this is the international terminal. At least half of the folks that are coming in and out of here are not U.S. citizens. So it is a risk because if someone's flight is delayed, they might blame these protesters for that.
BALDWIN: Right.
WIAN: So far airport officials tell us there have been no significant disruptions to any travel. But, of course, we have not seen the numbers that these protesters say we are going to see later today, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Well, we'll be watching that with you, both the plans potentially to occupy that international terminal and stopping traffic at that intersection. That will certainly get people's attentions in L.A. of all places.
Casey Wian, we'll be watching with you. Thank you.
I want to turn now to -- who shall we go to -- here he is, Dan Simon, who clearly, it's a different scene behind you. I'm assuming you're there at the Golden Gate Bridge, which, from what I understand, was supposed to be occupied. And by the looks of things, it is not.
DAN SIMON, CNN SILICON VALLEY CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. We didn't see it happen. People had threatened to shut down the Golden Gate Bridge over the last several days. There was a heavy police presence for much of the day, but they have since left.
We did see some problems over in Moran (ph), where you had some striking workers who operate the ferries going from parts of Moran County to the city of San Francisco. They did not go to work today. They were out there with picket signs so people who live in the communities of Larkspur and Sausalito, just on the other side of San Francisco, they had to find an alternative way to get to work this morning.
There were some problems, Brooke, last night in the mission district of San Francisco. Protesters took to the streets about 9:00 at night, smashing windows and going to various businesses, spray painting graffiti, that kind of thing.
We are expecting to see some protests occurring throughout the San Francisco Bay area today as well in Oakland, as well as here in the city of San Francisco. We'll keep an eye on things and let you know if anything happens later in the day.
Back to you.
BALDWIN: All right, Dan Simon, thank you. We'll continue talking here over the course of the next two hours.
Meantime, let's hop over to New York on Poppy Harlow, where I know, as you know, that's where the Occupy movement was born. You've covered this extensively, Poppy Harlow, for month and months. I know it's a pretty, pretty thick scene behind you there. If you can, just get to the crux of today. And in talking to some of these occupiers, I mean a lot of people have -- because they haven't seen them, they think, OK, well the movement was dead. I imagine the folks behind you say not so.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes. And I might have said that this morning, Brooke, when we were here at 7:00, 8:00 a.m. There were just a few people in the park. It has grown so much.
What you're seeing is the tail end of a march to Union Square that started here in Bryant Park, just about the top of your show, just about 20 minutes ago. I just asked the organizer of today, Mark Bray (ph), how many people do you think are in this march? He said he thinks about 1,000. That is a -- that is a guess. I'm not sure. But I would say at least 500 at this point heading down to Union Square. They're going to gather there. The head of "Rage Against the Machine," Tom Morello, just got here. So people are very excited about that. They're going to gather with the union.
Then they're going to walk, Brooke, this evening, about 5:30, 6:00 p.m., down to Wall Street. And it's anyone's guess what's going to happen on Wall Street. I talked to one of the Occupy members about sort of why they're joining this international workers day, why they're joining with the unions. And just to bring a mass appeal to the movement, he had an interesting answer. Take a listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That all of the different issues that particular organizations are working around, we see as all connected as part of this larger system of injustice that we're protesting. And hopefully through working together, you know, and the shared experiences, all of our politics and our understanding of the world will develop together and get us to the point where we're more prepared to build the new world that those of us involved with Occupy Wall Street want to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And the real focus here, Brooke, you know, there was a lot of criticism of this movement in the fall, that the message was not really cohesive, that there were all sorts of different things they're protesting for. Instead they are protesting for different thing. But over and over today, I have heard income inequality, economic disparity come up time and time again from people of all age groups and actually they're talking a lot about politics and the election and that they're really going to hold politicians' feet to the fire when it comes to income and equality. That's going to play into what happens in November. That's sort of a change in the dialogue, Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK, so quickly here though, it sounds like sort of a similar messages, similar themes through these last couple of months. Bottom line, do they feel like they've gotten something out of this? Do they feel like they've been successful?
HARLOW: Well, they think they've changed the conversation, but now their aim is to change laws. And I think that that's the real sticking point. One of the people that also leads this said to one of our producers, Adam Reid (ph), look, we spend so much time and so much effort fighting the protests, not as much effort gets put into changing laws and making those changes. That's going to be the decider. Is this a real resurgence of the movement. They don't have a location like Zuccotti Park now. They are gathering today. But they're not going to do this every day. And they do have the power of the unions and the workers behind them. So how are they going to galvanize to continue this on. But I would say today, more than we even thought this morning, there are a lot of people and there's a lot of energy behind this movement right now. We'll see how it plays out the rest of the day. At 3:00 we'll join you from the next location in Union Square.
BALDWIN: Yes, that's interesting. They say they've changed the conversation now and they want to change laws. We'll see if they do it.
HARLOW: Right.
BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, thank you. We'll see you next hour.
Meantime, lied, cheated, bullied, blackmailed. That is one British leader's description of how Rupert Murdoch operates his business and now his empire could be on the line.
Plus, an old house, an army tank and an event neighbors will be talking about for years. Look at this. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: More news unfolding right now. "Rapid Fire." Roll it.
First up here, five men accused of planning to blow up Cleveland area targets, including a bridge, are appearing in court today. Investigators say these men here are a band of self-described anarchists who were plotting a series of attacks involving improvised explosive devices, IEDs. Investigators say they conspired to get these IEDs through someone who just happened to be undercover for the FBI.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN ANTHONY, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Law enforcement took swift, collaborative action based on this intelligence and undertook a myriad of coordinated and investigative techniques in order to eliminate the risk of violence and protect the public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Next here, to the John Edwards fraud trial. The wife of his former presidential campaign aide could face cross-examination today and there is a possibility Cheri Young's emotional testimony could then compel Edwards to take the stand in his own defense. Young testified yesterday that Edwards sternly reassured her that using money from a campaign donor to hide his affair was legal.
And British lawmakers blast global media tycoon Rupert Murdoch over the phone hacking scandal, saying he is not fit to run a major international company. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM WATSON, BRITISH PARLIAMENT: Everybody in the world knows who is responsible for the wrongdoing at News Corp. Rupert Murdoch. More than any individual alive, he is to blame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Regulators are now studying the panel's findings and could force Murdoch to sell his controlling stake in a chunk of his media empire, specifically BSkyB, British Sky Broadcasting.
And no diplomatic immunity for Dominic Strauss-Kahn. So a civil lawsuit against the former International Monetary Fund chief can move forward. The suit was filed by that hotel maid in Manhattan who, many months ago, accused him of sexual assault. Strauss-Kahn -- I should say his attorneys say a sexual encounter did happen with her. They say it was consensual.
DNA evidence clears an Arizona man wrongly convicted of a 1994 rape and murder. He is Robert Dewey. He actually cracked a joke that after 18 years in a prison cell, 18 years, there's a lot for him to catch up on, like, you know, computers, smartphones, texting. He says he plans to live with a pen pal sweetheart he met a year ago. Investigators say the evidence points to another man who is already in prison for a similar crime.
A memorial for the legendary "60 Minutes" newsman, Mike Wallace, former colleagues, friends, family members, they all gathered today in New York just a couple of blocks from the CBS offices where Wallace worked. Wallace died last month at the age of 93.
And you need to tear a house down? Cranes so last year, but this 150-year-old house, this is no match for a tank. It's a tank taking this thing down. The population of Casota, Minnesota almost doubled for Saturday's spectacle. Mission demolition accomplished. Say that five times fast.
Now our Stan Grant travels to the hometown village of Chinese dissident Chen Guangchang only to get chased out of there. More on that report.
Also just in to CNN, we're getting word of three landmine casings found in luggage at Newark Airport. More on those details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, listen to this. Just in into us here at CNN. We are getting word that three landmine casings were found in a woman's luggage today at Newark Liberty International Airport. This is in New Jersey.
We are told the security alarm did, in fact, go off when this woman's suitcase went through. Two of the three casings were packed with shrapnel, but there were no explosives. No detonators within this suitcase.
The woman apparently told the TSA she was attending an explosives demonstration. She was rebooked on a different flight without those weapons.
We have been telling you here the Chinese government going to great lengths to keep a lid on blind activist, Chen Guangcheng's escape including blocking certain key words on China's version of Twitter. State controlled news outlets to virtually ignore the story all together.
His fellow activist said Chen climbed a wall, crossed a creek before meeting a car to Rendezvous Point. Remember he's blind. He's believed to be hiding out at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and his escape from house arrest is very embarrassing to the Chinese government and it could put his family in danger.
Our own Stan Grant hopped in a car, traveled to Chen's hometown just to try to talk to them. Instead, he and his driver got locked in this intense and sometimes quite frightening game of cat and mouse. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, it seems fast a car is following us. We've turned down this dirt road and we're going to try to lose him.
(voice-over): We're trying to get to Chen Guangcheng's village in Shandong Province. This area is in lockdown. It has been for 18 months while the blind activist was under house arrest. Guards visible still today.
Now Chen's escape to Beijing, reportedly hiding in the U.S. embassy. This is where Chen supporters say his family is being held. We want to speak to them, but we don't even get close. A car is quickly on our tail. We've picked up a local driver.
He took a lot of convincing. He knows about Chen and knows the risks. Yes, I've heard of him he says, local people should know of him. He campaigned against family planning policy. I know he was under house arrest.
(on camera): The car is still following and we've been driving now for about 20 minutes. This just goes to show how difficult it must been for Chen Guangcheng, the man they were holding under house arrest to have managed to escape.
(voice-over): Our driver is becoming more nervous. He won't slow down. We go down dirt roads, past local markets. It gets dangerous, sometimes ending up on the wrong side of the road.
(on camera): The cat and mouse game is continuing. We're back in our car. I think as you've just seen, as we pulled out, that same vehicle pulled out and they're following us again.
(voice-over): Finally, our driver's had enough and pulls other than. We're left by the side of the road. As police approach, he speeds off. We get the sense people here are scared. Even if they are aware of Chen Guangchang, they won't admit it.
I'm just a truck driver this man insists. I spend a lot of time away. I don't know what's going on. No sooner are we inside another car, the chase is back on.
(on camera): This gives you an indication of just how seriously security takes this issue and the lengths that they will go through to stop us trying to tell story of what's been happening to Chen Guangcheng and his family.
(voice-over): When we stop, they stop. Where we go, they go. We stop at a local watermelon stand. Hope to throw them off the scent. No chance. Watching on the same black car, at no point have the people inside identified themselves, watermelon in hand, we decide to ask some questions.
(on camera): Is this about Chen Guangcheng?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know who Chen Guangcheng is. I'm just driving around for fun.
GRANT: But you've been following us the entire way. (voice-over): We don't get back to our car before they pounce. Eventually, we get free. Chen Guangcheng those too well, in China, security doesn't give up so easily. Stan Grant, CNN, Shandong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Stan Grant, thank you for that.
Still ahead, what happens to your debt when you die? You're about to hear what happened to one family when a college student dies after an accident.
Plus a bizarre twist in the search for a 6-year-old girl who disappeared right out of her own bedroom. Miles away from that home, we're getting away that someone broke in to a home in the middle of the night and sexually assaulted one young girl, at least one. Is there a connection here? We'll talk to the investigator next.
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BALDWIN: Could a man suspected of breaking into a Tucson home and allegedly molesting one of these three little girls inside, could it be connected to the disappearance of 6-year-old Isabel Celis?
Take a look at this sketch. This is the man that they're looking for after yesterday's sexual assault. A man in his 20s, short hair, wears glasses. This happened just 10 miles north east of Isabel Celis' home.
Isabel, we've been talking to you about this. She's been missing now for more than a week. Investigators say they are not completely ruling out the possibility that the two cases could be connected.
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RICK KASTIGAR, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Obviously, everybody's very concerned about this. Given the current state of awareness in this community in that we've had a young 6-year- old girl abducted from her home, this really rings near and dear and close to our hearts. It troubles all of us here.
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BALDWIN: I want to bring in Dawn Barkman. She is with the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Dawn, thank for coming on. I want to begin with the alleged sexual assault.
Initially, we're talking about these three little girls. Initially, there were reports that all three were molested. Now we're hearing one of three. What can you tell us? What happened?
DAWN BARKMAN, PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Well, what I can tell is you that the three girls are visiting here in Tucson with their mother. They're visiting grandparents' house. They were sleeping in the same room. And sometime in the middle of the night, before 2:00 in the morning, a strange man entered the bedroom, woke all three of the children up.
Basically, told them that he was a friend of the mother's and that he wasn't going to hurt them and he sexually assaulted one of the children before leaving the house.
BALDWIN: So he said he was a friend of their mother's, but he said he was a strange man. So none of these little girls recognized this guy?
BARKMAN: That is correct. And as soon as he left, the 10-year- old immediately went into the mother's room and explained what had happened, reported to her mother what had happened.
BALDWIN: How is she doing?
BARKMAN: Well, it's a very emotional disparaging situation for these girls, of course. They weren't hurt physically, but emotionally, they have some things to overcome.
BALDWIN: So I know, your department, you're working this particular story and I just have to ask, and let's throw the map up one more time because it begs the question, you see where Isabel Ciles' home is, 10 miles north east of where this alleged molestation happened.
That we were just talking about. Where are you all in terms of the possibility that these two are connected? Have you ruled it out or no?
BARKMAN: Well, it's not likely that the two cases are connected, but we're not completely ruling it out either. We have detectives from the Tucson Police Department working with our detectives on these cases to determine if there are any similarities.
That's where we are right now. We're hoping that with 88 crime tips that we're receiving, we will have additional leads and we'll be able to determine who this suspect was that entered it this home.
BALDWIN: And I know it's Tucson police are the major jurisdiction working the Isabel Celis missing case. Do you have any news on that? I imagine your detectives are working closely with them.
BARKMAN: They are. The detectives are working closely with Tucson police, but I do not have news on that particular case.
BALDWIN: Quickly let's put up the picture once again of the suspect just so we can hopefully help you all in any way we can. The suspect here, short hair, glasses.
Again, what more can you tell us? People are watching and listening in surrounding, you know, Arizona surrounding states. Anymore details you can offer on this man? BARKMAN: Just that he was last seen wearing dark colored shorts, green sleeveless shirt, the dark rimmed glasses. As you could see on the composite that one of the girls was able to help provide for us and we're hoping anyone who has any information of the suspect in that particular area or in any area will call 911 or 88-crime.
BALDWIN: Dawn Barkman, thank you and good luck.
BARKMAN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: The search is on here for one of two men who set fire to a bar after being kicked out and surveillance cameras caught the whole thing. That's next.
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BALDWIN: Take a look this surveillance video. This is just outside a war, Houston, Texas. You see these two guys, setting a fire for the bar while folks are inside barricaded from within.
Police say these men were upset because they were thrown out of the bar for fighting. So what do they do, according to the authorities, the pair returned with a can of gasoline, douse the entrance and started the fire.
And you can see the whole thing was caught on tape. In the end, everyone inside got out OK. One of these men was arrested. The other is still on the run.
Coming up next, what happens to your debt when you die? Is that something you've ever thought about? Listen to this story. A college student dies. His father is still on the hook for his son's college loans.
The bank says we want your money, but suddenly the bank makes a surprising move and I'm going to speak live with the student's brother who's behind this fight against this bank. You're going to hear what he did in his own words. Don't miss this conversation next.
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BALDWIN: What happens to your debt when you die? I know it's a bit of a morbid question, but you know, in some cases like private student loans, the debt very much so lives on and that was the case for the parents of Christopher Briski.
He was 23 when he accidentally fell. He fell some 45 feet, suffered a traumatic brain injury that kept him in a coma for two years. Fast forward to 2006, Briski died and that is when Key Bank began contacting this young man's father who co-signed on his loan to pay back the 30 some thousand dollars Christopher still owed.
Now the Briski's asked Key Bank to forgive the loans as federal student lenders do, but Key Bank refused. And then the Briskis started an online petition, 80,000 some signatures later, Key Bank for gave the loan just this past week, six years after Christopher's passing.
And joining me now is Christopher's brother, Ryan. Ryan, I have a brother. I cannot imagine. I'm sorry about your brother, but tell the story. Take me back to 2004.
You are obviously I'm sure coping with the news, your brother is in this coma and the phone calls begin from the bank. What are they asking of you or your father?
RYAN BRYSKI, CHRISTOPHER BRYSKI'S BROTHER: To speak with my brother, which was not a possibility. In his case, he was so severely injured. He couldn't speak, he couldn't hear, he couldn't see. He couldn't move. He was completely incapacitated and disabled.
And in response to those calls, we would send guardianship paperwork, which my parents had to acquire through the courts system. We would send them letters from the neurosurgeons stating his condition.
And the calls continued regardless. I'm sorry, we can't speak with you. We can only speak with Christopher. You know, what part he can't speak that they not understand. God forbid he passed away.
Initially, two years later of calls and mail addressed to him, they finally got the death certificate and still even that didn't stop the calls and the demands for repayment.
BALDWIN: So let me ask you this. Up to that point, your dad, your brother previous to being in a coma and obviously passing away, they had been paying the bank in full on time, yes?
BRYSKI: Yes, every month.
BALDWIN: OK, so then what was your father telling the bank when they were calling to get this 30 some thousand dollars?
BRYSKI: He was telling them, you know, he just came out of retirement to make these payments. He had retired just previously to Chris' injury. And just before Christopher's death, he had to return to work.
My mother works. I was working and my father had to explain to them this is a really, really grave situation. We were not sure if he's going to live through the night. And you're asking to speak with him.
Just please look at the paperwork we gave you, if one of your departments has the paperwork and you haven't seen it yet, you need to get your story straight before you contact the customer in this type of situation.
BALDWIN: Because in this situation, the 30 some thousand dollars that your father is co-signer on this loan ultimately owed the bank, your father was saying my son has passed. We would like to not have to pay the rest of the money just so I'm clear. BRYSKI: The wording in our paperwork was very unclear, which led us to when they called. We didn't really know what to say. We were just saying this is our situation. What are our options?
And their response was we never received a call like this before and we don't have a policy for this. So your options are repayment, you can't claim bankruptcy because student loans don't go anywhere in bankruptcy. So what option did we have but to repay.
BALDWIN: Ryan, let me jump in because I want to make clear we reached out to Key Bank. Here's what they said, quote, "First and foremost, we are sorry for the tragic loss of Christopher Bryski. Going forward, we will evaluate any similar situation involving a deceased student without standing loans and we sincerely hope there are none on a case by case basis."
So they have forgiven the loan that's the news, but tell me what it took when it sounds kind of like court of public opinion, the change.org petition that finally perhaps got them to change their tune.
BRYSKI: Yes, I was contacted early last week by change.org, which was also the online petition organization that got Bank of America to stop charging the $5 a month for debit card use, if I'm not mistaken.
And they offered to help me start an online petition to help my cause and they reached out to me. I got the approval through my mother and father and we moved forward. We had 80,000 signatures in four days, which is unprecedented as far as I understand.
And it took 80 signatures and every time someone signs that petition, an e-mail is drafted and sent to recipients put into that petition. So executives at the bank or whatever your petitioning against received an e-mail every time someone signs that petition.
BALDWIN: Ryan Bryski, I appreciate you coming on telling your story. It certainly something I think not a lot of people think about so perhaps this will raise awareness for folks who have student loans from private entities, you know, federal government that this is something you have to be aware of. Ryan, I appreciate it. Thank you.
BRYSKI: Thank you, Brooke and if you could mention Christopher's law has been introduced to address the ambiguity in this.
BALDWIN: Again, the raising awareness point, we're on it and we'll wait and see if and when it's passed. Ryan, thank you.
BRYSKI: Thank you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Still ahead, U.S. on alert for so-called body bombs and the feds are concerned terrorists could be targeting planes. We're going to talk to a former CIA officer next.
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